Those familiar with and skilled in the arts of fishing, both freshwater and saltwater fishing with the use of fishing lures, will recognize the common problem of inadvertent snagging or hanging-up of such fishing lures on submerged brush, roots, docks, or other underwater structures. There are many types of fishing lures that are vulnerable to being snagged during typical cast and retrieve operations practiced in lure fishing. For example, bottom hugging and deep diving lures, often termed crank baits, become lodged on submerged rocks, roots, tree stumps, and so on. Surface lures become snagged in waterline brush, weeds, Lilly pads, etc. Snagging is almost always by hooking a structure with hooks or hook assemblies attached to the lures.
Although some lure designs incorporate some form of snag protection such as weed guards or the like, virtually any hook-bearing fishing lure is vulnerable at some point to becoming snagged.
Typically, to free a snagged lure, a fisherman has to move his boat over the lure (if submerged), and to the side opposite where the boat was when the lure snagged in an attempt to pull the lure's hook out the same way it became lodged. Even then, more often than not, a line will break or have to be cut, and an expensive lure will be lost. Similarly, lures may be lost in dense brush or cover above or at the waterline where it is difficult for a boat to gain access, such as in shallow brush-covered backwaters. Often a decision to break the line is made by an angler faced by such a problem. Lakes, rivers, streams and in many cases salt water fishing areas have some type structure present that is capable of entrapping a fishing lure.
Many professional fisherman, particularly bass fisherman spend a considerable sum replacing lures lost by break-off or cut line. As lures become more expensive, the prospect of losing them becomes increasingly intolerable. Novice and professional alike will attest to the frustration of losing a valuable fishing lure to underwater structure or dense brush.
What is clearly needed is a method and apparatus for remotely freeing a snagged fishing lure without breaking line or requiring extensive de-entanglement efforts.